The gun-wielding persons who robbed NBA star Antoine Walker in his Chicago home this month could be the same crooks who ransacked Eddy Curry's suburban home, authorities said Sunday.

Chicago police investigators continued to work with cops in nearby Burr Ridge to establish if the same trio of thugs was involved in both crimes.

"There are similarities: You have two pro ballplayers, you have jewelry and you have cash. We're not going to rule it out," said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Neighbors described seeing unfamiliar cars circling the secluded suburb in the weeks leading up to the Saturday home invasion, in which Curry, 24, his wife and an employee were bound and robbed at gunpoint by three thugs.